The Devil's Tears
by ShaliaDarkness
Summary: Post-Hogwarts, takes place three years after the war: The trio plus Ginny are ready to start a new life together, but somebody has other plans for them - plans that soon prove to be dangerously fatal. RHR and HG. Full summary inside.
1. New Beginnings

**The Devil's Tears by ShaliaDarkness**

**A/N: This is the first chapter of this fic so there won't be much going on, but eventually the story will build up and there will be lots of suspense, etc. - I would also like to point out that the story's title is derived from the song of the same name, but I am unsure whether or not that counts as a songfic. You won't be seeing lyrics popping up so I don't think so.**

**Hello to all! I figured that since I have received I tremendous amount of support from my previous story **_**The Freedom Fighters**_**, I should continue writing. This story, however, is completely different from that. There are really many beautifully told tales about what happened between that 19 year gap, or after the battle, and I wanted to do my take on it. It might not turn out as good as planned but I will try. **

**Summary: Three years after the final battle, Ron Weasley, along with Harry Potter, find themselves finished with training and part of the Auror Department. Hermione is part of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, although she is applying for a position in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and finds out she has unfriendly competition that plans to squander her dreams of promotion. Meanwhile, Harry and Ron deal with a dangerous case of broken out Death Eaters who plan on seeking revenge.**

**Characters: Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, and a few new others.**

**Rating: Ah, yes, the rating. For now it will be a T rated story. But later on, this rating might change to an M. It's a possibility. The rating is for violence and sexual themes. If this proves much more than a "T" rating, I will change it, but will inform my readers.**

**Chapter 1: New Beginnings**

"_I'll taste the Devil's tears, drink from his soul, but I'll never give up you." – The Devil's Tears by Angus & Julia Stone_

The bright morning sun seeped through her eyes and she awoke with a start. Yawning, she swung her petite legs off the white king sized bed she shared with Ron and ran her fingers through her hair, rearranging it slightly. "Ron," she said, walking to her sleeping partner's side of the bed. His vivid red hair was just as messy as hers was, his mouth was half open, and he only wore boxers on his fit and now muscular legs. She smiled, acknowledging how lucky she was to be the girlfriend of somebody so fortunate looking. Moving into the cute, two-bedroom flat they owned had resulted bouts of late night sex.

"Ronald, it's time to get up," she said softly, nudging him with her fingers.

He shook them off. "Two more minutes, mum."

"Ha ha," Hermione said sarcastically, folding her arms. "Ronald Bilius Weasley, you are twenty-one years old, not twelve. Get up now before I have to drag you out of bed."

"I'm up," Ron teased, though he did not move.

"_Really_?" Hermione said loftily. "Prove to me that you're awake."

"I – I just am," Ron said, shifting slightly before finding a comfier position.

Hermione tried to keep a stern face, but it was already breaking into a smile as she spoke again. "Ron, I'm going to be late."

Ron's eyes briefly opened and his head turned to look at her –her hands were on her hips and she wore nothing but a very short white nightgown. "You look sexy in the morning."

Hermione's eyebrows raised. "Really?" she said, even though Ron's compliment had not fooled her. "That's very nice of you. Now get up before I hex you."

Ron finally sprung up, dazed in only his boxers. He wore a smirk and grabbed Hermione by her arms and pinned her to the bed playfully.

"Ron!" Hermione said, although she was smiling as well, "Ron, there's no time for this childish nonsense!"

"Oh, so you're saying kids pin each other to a bed and do what I'm about to do?" he demanded, before he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her passionately. Hermione opened her mouth to him, and after he released her arms they went around his neck, and up his hair as she ran her fingers through it. As she pulled away, Ron muttered, "One more, one more" and she collided her lips to his again, licking his tongue with hers.

As they pulled away a second time, Hermione smiled, with one hand still in his hair. "We're both going to be late. I promised Harry and Ginny we'd meet them for breakfast."

"Hmph," Ron said, getting off of her. As he shuffled to the bathroom, one hand on his head, he said, "Just remember, you're all mine when you get home!"

Hermione smiled and went to the closet to pick out her best clothes. Ron came out of the bathroom, now with a toothbrush in his mouth and a towel instead of boxers. "Hey love, do you mind – "

"No," Hermione said, cutting him off. "You're picking out your own clothes today Ron, I'm pretty busy picking out mine."

"Oh come off it," Ron said. "Why are girls so intent on looking pretty _all _the time? You look fine, love. More than fine, actually," he said, eyeing her up and down.

Hermione raised her eyesbrows at him. "Well unfortunately, today's not about looking pretty. It's about looking professional."

Ron sighed. "Fine. I'm just going to go take my shower now. Do you, er…care to join me?" he said, indicating his loose towel.

"As tempting as that offer is," Hermione said, "I do night showers, Ronald. You should know that by now. And I've got to get the coffee ready, and choose the right clothes. You go on without me."

Ron smirked. "Alright."

She slid her nightgown off, now only in her knickers and bra in front of him.

Ron smiled and took the toothbrush out of his mouth as he stared his girlfriend up and down. "Ni-i-ice. Tell me how I'm the luckiest man on Earth?"

Hermione smirked at him and said, "Well, you survived the Second Wizarding War, for starters."

"Right," Ron said, before retreating to the bathroom to take his shower.

Hermione rolled her eyes playfully and took out a bout of Slekeazy's Ginny has lent to her. It was really needed, as over the years her bushy hair had grown into nice, smooth curls that cascaded down her back, but it was a big day, and she had to look her best.

After the war, Hermione and Ginny had returned to Hogwarts and finished their education together, Hermione, against Ron's wishes, intent to get her studies done. Harry and Ron took this time to look for open Auror jobs at the Ministry, and Kingsley had fixed them up some Auror training before they could actually work at the Ministry. Hermione worked in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and even if she had one of the best positions in there, she had her eyes set on a job at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, something she knew would not be easy. Encouraging rights for house elves was one thing, but reforming the Wizarding World by getting rid of the muggle-born prejudice – that was another.

After she had washed her face, brushed her teeth and hair, applied deodorant and a few bits of makeup, she pulled on a black waist-high skirt, with a white spaghetti-sleeved shirt on top of it, and a matching unbuttoned beige cardigan-sweater. She pulled on black pumps and after grabbing her favorite black bag and wand, headed out of the bedroom and into the kitchen.

She fixed up some coffee in the coffee maker and heated some breadsticks for a brief start, as Harry and Ginny would meet them up for breakfast in a nearby restaurant.

She heard a familiar beep from her bag and took out her cell phone, where it read "1 New Message". Graduating from Hogwarts and living in the Muggle World meant adapting to some new muggle devices, including driving and technology, something Ron was still not very keen of, and resulted in him using his wand a few times in public. After Muggles had reported strange sightings, Kingsley let him off with a warning, saying that just because they were familiar with each other didn't mean he could favorite Ron over the other workers.

Hermione squinted at the text, seeing it was from Ginny, who had also adapted into Muggle devices, and said, _Harry and I are ready, about to leave our flat. We'll be there at about 7:45._

Hermione shoved her phone back into her bag and glances at the clock; 7:30. She shouted over her shoulder. "Ron! You better be ready by now! I don't want us to be late!"

"Relax, love, I'm here," Ron said, emerging from their bedroom wearing a dress shirt with rolled up sleeves and black pants; he held a casual looking jacket in his right hand. "Besides, we're going to see my sister and her boyfriend, not the Queen."

Hermione ignored the comment, and went across the room to get the coffee. As she held her hand out to reach for the kettle, she knocked over a china mug; the second it hit the floor, she thrust out her wand and said, "_Reparo_!" the mug brought itself back to its original form and she picked it up and handed it to Ron. "Coffee?"

Ron marveled at her work. "You were always better at magic. And yes, please."

Hermione beamed at him as she poured mocha-colored coffee into his mug. "Are you and Harry on any cases yet?" she said, as she pocketed her wand again and went to the counter to get the breadsticks.

"No," Ron sighed, staring into his coffee. He took a sip, then continued, "Harry and I are thinking about suggesting to Kingsley if we could actually be assigned one. We only got out of Auror training months ago and he still thinks we're unprepared."

Hermione took a bite of her bread stick and lifted herself up on the counter. "How come?

"I don't know," Ron replied, sighing as he drained the mug. "Harry and I reckon it's because it hasn't been that long since the battle, and there are rumors going around that some Death Eaters are still out and about, dressing up as Muggles here in London…"

Hermione finished her breadstick and crossed her arms. "Well, you always know that safety comes first, Ronald."

"Right," Ron said, getting up from his stool and walking over to Hermione, who was still sitting on the counter, and wrapping his arms around her waist. "Are you nervous about today?"

Hermione sighed. "I do enjoy freeing house elves, Ron," she said, putting her arms around his neck. "I just want a bit of a change, that's all. I'm determined to prove to Kingsley I belong in Magical Law Enforcement."

"Yeah, the same department as me and Harry," Ron said, kissing her neck.

Hermione laughed, pulled away and said, "Not because of that." she closed the distance between them and pressed her lips against his, kissing him, trying to be in control this time. Their tongues collided and she ran her fingers through his hair before she pulled away, saying, "We should go now."

Ron still wore a satisfied smirk. "I can't wait to get home."

Hermione rolled her eyes and walked towards the door.

Thirty minutes later, the pair had found themselves in the busy streets of Lewisham, London. Hermione spotted two prominent spots, one jet black and the other vivid red, like Ron's. "Ginny!" Hermione called, racing up to the couple, "Harry! We're here!"

"Wha – there you are!" Ginny said. She wore jeans, a long sleeved striped shirt and a black cardigan. "Harry and I have been waiting forever."

Hermione panted as Ron caught up with her. "Sorry. Greenwich was pretty busy today. Ron and I had an argument on whether to apparate or not."

"Good thing you didn't. There are tons of people her. Lewisham has the _best _breakfast in the entire city," Harry said. He wore something similar to Ron, and smiled as he spotted his best friend catching up with him. "Slept it this morning, didn't we?"

"Shut up, Harry," Ron said, putting an arm around Hermione.

"Hermione, you look nice," Ginny commented. "I love the color. Much better than what I'm wearing anyway."

"Nonsense, you look fantastic!" Hermione said. "So, shall we get breakfast?"

Harry nodded and Ron led the way; being the tallest out of all of them, he could see the restaurant easier.

"Where exactly are we going?" Hermione hissed at Ginny.

"Oh, a place called Oscar's. It just opened and it's got a tone of great food."

Hermione only nodded, before grabbing Ron's hand so it made it easier to not get separated. She glanced and saw that Harry had put his arm around Ginny's waist, his eyes focused on finding the restaurant just like Ron.

"I think this is it," Ron said moments later, stopping before a small and black café. Hermione squinted through the blinds and saw that it was much darker then outside, with a few booths and a bar on the right side. "Nice, Ginny. Where'd you find this place?"

"Oh, the girls and I have lunch here some days," Ginny said, rubbing her forehead. After graduating and winning several matches at Hogwarts, she had been offered many positions in all-female Quidditch teams, before finally settling for the Holyhead Harpies and practiced with them four times a week.

All four of them walked into the restaurant. As Hermione rubbed her pumps on the welcome rug, a blond waitress walked up to them and said, "Hey, Ginny. Breakfast for four, I suppose?"

Ginny nodded.

She looked at Harry and Ron suddenly and smiled, biting her lip. Hermione tried not to roll her eyes. "Who are your friends?" she asked.

"This happens to be Ron, my brother. And that's Harry, Gina. He's my boyfriend," Ginny spat, her eyebrows raise at the waitress.

She stepped back. "Very well. You can follow me to your booth."

Harry and Ginny slipped into the left side of the booth, and Ron and Hermione slipped on the right, opposite of them. Hermione smiled as she felt Ron's arm move across her shoulders. She quickly kissed him before blushing furiously at Harry and Ginny.

"Aw, look at you too!" Ginny said. "You can't get enough of each other."

"Don't be so shallow, Ginny," Ron said, avoiding his sister's eyes.

"Shes right you know," Harry said, winking at his girlfriend. "You two are inseparable."

"Well, we have a reason to be if we're not together most of the time at work," Hermione said, pulling a loose piece of hair behind her ear.

"Oh come off it," Harry said. "Ginny's at some stadium most times and I'm at the ministry with your prat boyfriend."

Ron just rolled his eyes and Hermione raised one eyebrow at Harry.

"So, what will it be?" a different, cranky looking waitress had appeared before them.

"Er – four coffees please," said Hermione, then looked at Harry, Ginny and Ron.

"I'll have the breakfast special," Harry said.

"Me too," Ginny said, then turned to Ron.

"I'll have the egg sandwich," Ron said. "Oh, and a glass of pumpkin juice please."

The waitress stared at Ron. "I'm sorry?"

"Pumpkin juice," Ron repeated.

A mixture of confusion and annoyance flooded her face as Hermione face-palmed. "We don't have pumpkin juice. We've got orange, apple, grape and peach. That's it."

As Ron opened his mouth to speak again, Hermione lifted her face from her hand and said, "We'll just have the coffee, three specials and the sandwich, thanks."

The waitress, still looking annoyed, shuffled over to the counter to report their orders.

"Pumpkin juice, Ron?" Ginny begun saying. "_Really_?"

"At least I didn't order Fizzing Whizbees!" Ron argued across the table.

"That's enough," Harry said, the same look Hermione had splattered on his face. "They don't have that in most Muggle places, Ron."

Ron shrugged. "They should."

The next moment, the four sat in silence, each waiting for their orders. Ginny drummed her fingers on the table while Harry stared into thin air. Ron was tapping his foot on the floor and Hermione was staring at her skirt.

"How's everything going at your department, Hermione?" Harry said, still staring into nothingness.

"Swell," Hermione said. "How's the whole Auror business?"

"Could be better," Harry said. "I've been meaning to tell you, Ron. Kingsley has some new reports on a Death Eater – we don't know his name yet but he's asked us and a few others to do all the paperwork –"

"Three specials," said the waitress, who appeared holding a large tray. She took three of the plates and placed them in front of Hermione, Ginny and Harry. "An egg sandwich, and four fresh coffees. Enjoy your meal, I suppose."

Hermione stared down at her plate of eggs and sausages, and began eating. After she swallowed the first few bits of egg, she dabbed her chin with a napkin and said, "Harry, I know you and Ron are so intent on getting to all the physical stuff, but this is what happens during the first few bits of being an Auror."

"Yeah, but we've done way more 'physical stuff' during the training," Ron said through a mouthful of egg. "That doesn't seem too right."

"Kingsley knows what he's doing," Ginny said, reaching for a napkin. "I mean, he's Kingsley. He'll know what's best."

They continued eating in silence, except for Ron's swallowing, which very audible. Hermione took her mug and had a few sips of fresh coffee before resuming to her plate.

A couple of minutes later, Harry had stopped eating his sausages and took out a large, silver coin with a firm A out of his pocket as it began glowing. "Damn," he said, hitching it out of site before turning to Ron. "Ron, we have to go, there's an emergency at the Auror department."

"Oh," Ron said, after taking a sip of coffee. "What is it?"

"I don't know, but we better get there fast, it's glowing more than usual," he said, dabbing his chin with a napkin and rising from the booth. "Sorry, Hermione, sorry, Ginny. Kingsley needs us. We'll see you later."

Ron rose from his booth too, looking annoyed. Harry swept down and kissed Ginny, whispering, "I love you," and Hermione rose from the booth as well to hug Ron and then give him a long kiss on the lips. Nothing else was needed, and Ron and Harry departed from the café, turning right as soon as they were out.

"It's nice to have an Auror boyfriend," Ginny commented later, as it was only her and Hermione left. "What time do you have to go to work?"

"8:45," Hermione said, staring down at her watch, which read 8:35. "Then it's back to rearranging papers and looking up elf abuse. What about you?"

Ginny took a sip of coffee then said, "2:00. I'll be heading back to the apartment and probably go get food, then I'll be off to training."

Hermione cut up her remaining sausages. "How's all this going for you?" she said. "I mean, you know…being on one of the best teams ever and dating "the boy who lived"…"

"It's great to be with the Harpies," Ginny said, looking down at her plate as she took a piece of egg. "The other, I'm not so sure about. Harry's been getting large bouts of fan mail from fourth years back at Hogwarts, it's so annoying. But I cope with it."

Hermione laughed. "_Fourth y_ears?"

Ginny nodded. "Believe it or not. How are things been going on with Ron? You've been shagging lately, haven't you?"

Hermione choked on her sausage and spat out a piece on her napkin. "_Ginny_!"

Ginny looked unfazed. "Oh come off it, it's not that bad of a question. I can just tell. You're all lovey-dovey more around him lately. It's quite obvious, if you ask me."

Hermione sighed. "Ha ha. What about you, and er…Harry?"

"Last time was probably last week," Ginny said. "Although we've been getting _some _complaints seeing as Harry's a huge prat when it comes to silencing spells."

Hermione laughed again. She stared at her watch, which read 8:43, and took one last sip of coffee. "Well, I best be off to the Ministry, they expect me soon."

"Right," said Ginny. "I'll walk you out – excuse me!" she said to the nearest waitress, then gestured for the check.

The waitress came over, holding a black check book to Ginny, and as Hermione picked up her bag it collided with a girl running past, who was holding some books. "Oh, gosh!" Hermione said, staring at the mess. "I'm so sorry, here, let me help you."

"It's fine," said the girl, grabbing all her books quickly. She dark and straight hair and wore a green sweatshirt and sweatpants. "I'm fine."

"Here, you dropped this," Hermione said, picking up a book which fell on the table and handing it to her. "You wouldn't want to forget it!"

As she trust the book at the girl, her face had grown full of paranoia and shock. "Just leave me alone," she said quickly, forgetting to get the book from Hermione's grip and rushing out of the store.

Hermione looked taken aback and appalled and followed the girl outside the restaurant. "Excuse me? What – wait!"

By the time she had reached the outside, the girl was gone.

**Sorry for a long first chapter! I know there's not a lot of action but that one bit of suspense at the end was nice to write. Please tell me what you think. I will complete the Freedom Fighters before this, but that doesn't mean I won't update. Please Rate & Review!**


	2. Mission & Competition

**Hello there! Here's a new chapter for you. **

**I apologize for confusing some in my first chapter regarding London streets. I've never been to London so I looked up places on Google and picked out the first ones I saw, so if I stirred a bit of a confusion apologies :) **

**Also, I have changed the rating to M, deciding it is the best thing to do. I don't want any complaints regarding the sexual material and *potential* language ahead. **

**This chapter is slightly shorter than the last, but fear not, as the suspense and mystery builds up a bit. I won't say anything else, other than enjoy!**

**Chapter 2: Missions & Competition**

"_Six_?" Harry said, jabbing his finger on the front of Kingsley's work desk. "Six? Are you meaning to tell me that _six _Death Eaters have escaped from Azkaban?"

Kinglsey, who looked tired, dark circles evident under his eyes, looked up at Harry. "Potter, I require your calmness if I am able to speak to you and Weasley about this situation."

Harry dropped his hands impatiently to his side and turned to look at Ron, who was leaning against the wall and staring at the floor. He looked up once he sensed Harry's eyes on him. "It can't be that big of a deal, Harry. They're Death Eaters."

"'Not that big of a deal'?" Harry questioned angrily. "These are Voldemort's followers we're talking about!"

"Well, yes, Potter," said Kingsley's deep voice. "But without Voldemort, what are they? We can't find a reason as to why they would go out and start causing trouble again."

"Right," said Ron, walking up to Harry. "They've got no reason to be dangerous at all, mate."

"Which leads me to my next point," said Kingsley, and Harry and Ron both turned quickly to look at him. "Since you are still in your first year of official Auror duty, I would like to assign the both of you a light mission to investigate these Death Eater's actions. Track down where they are, re-arrest them, and then all will be well."

Harry raised his eyebrows at Kingsley. "_This _is our first mission? Why can't we join Savage and Williamson?"

"Because they are senior Aurors and are therefore tasked with even more dangerous missions," Kingsley said, as he took out a piece of parchment and dipped his quill into ink. "I'm going to write down the names of the known escapees. Potter, Weasley, you're job is to research their offenses and report to me by Thursday morning what they are responsible of so we can arrange the sentence. That's my final word."

Harry eyed Ron, who wore the same expression of dread. He felt as if he was a little muggle child not tall enough to ride a rollercoaster at a local amusement park, which wasn't good at all.

"Well, there goes hope," Ron sighed as Harry shut the door of Kingsley's office behind him. "We're never going to go on missions."

"Yes, we are," Harry said, unfolding the parchment that Kingsley gave them as he spoke. "It's like Hermione said. We'll get our turn. We're only junior Aurors, remember?"

Ron shook his head and raked his fingers through his red hair.

"Hm," Harry said, staring down at the parchment. "Rookwood, Dolohov, and Macnair. Ring any bells?"

"Dolohov definitely does," Ron said, scratching his chin with the tip of his wand. "He attacked us at that café ages ago. Rookwood, I think, was at the Department of Mysteries, though I couldn't see his face, he was wearing that bloody mask."

"And I'm pretty sure Macnair killed Buckbeak," Harry finally said. "This isn't that hard."

"We've got three more escapees to go," Ron groaned. "I feel like I'm back in fifth year."

Harry patted his friend's back. "Hey, we'll get through this. It will be just like old times."

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of," Ron said, starting to walk away from Kingsley's office to the office they shared together. "Being chased around by a bunch of prats and having the darkest wizard in the world targeting you wasn't peachy, mate."

Harry chuckled a bit, before patting Ron's back again and sighing. "Hermione'll be happy for us. This is our first real mission."

"Paranoid's more like it," Ron said, as the two reached the door to their shared office. After opening it, he looked down at his watch, staring intently at the legs before grabbing his jacket, his wand and rearranging his hair. "Damn, I promised Hermione I'd meet her for lunch."

"Oh, a lunch date with Ron Weasley. What could go wrong?" Harry said sarcastically, trying to refrain from grinning as Ron glared at him.

"Aren't you supposed to be meeting my sister or something?" Ron demanded, putting his jacket on.

"I was thinking about dropping by her practice, but she actually might be at home fixing something. I don't mind travelling."

"Right," Ron said, racing out of the office as Harry called out, "Don't forget! We need to get the reports done by tonight!"

"I know," Ron muttered as he jabbed his finger on the lift button and waited patiently for it to come.

-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-

Hermione sat in silence in her own office, the only audible noise being the scratching of her quill on some parchment as she took notes on a recent document regarding the mistreatment of a local house elf named Biscuit. As she wiped away sweat, she looked down and realized she had finished the fourth paper on the report and sighed in frustration, realizing she had two more sheets to go.

As she raised her favorite sugar quill to dip in black ink, there was a loud knock on her door. Focused on the sheet of paper she was scribbling on, she said, "Come in," and waved her wand at the door knob to allow passage.

Her eyes shot up as she saw it was Kingsley, and she stood up from her work desk to greet the Minister. "Minister Kingsley…I … I didn't know you'd be coming by today."

"Please, Hermione, call me Kingsley. I've known you before I even had this position, it seems unnatural."

Hermione smiled at him and parted a loose hair to the side. "May I ask what brings you here?"

"Yes. As you know, the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures has been needing a helping hand .You, Hermione, have been absolutely wonderful in your post, but I decided that we need someone to help hold the department on its shoulders. I would like to introduce to you Constance Abernathy."

Hermione's smile slightly evaporated as a slender girl with long, raven black loose curls, ruby red lips and green eyes walked into the room, smiling at her. She held out her nail-polished hands and said, "Constance Abernathy."

"Hello," Hermione said, holding her hand out and shaking 'Constance's' slowly.

Kingsley took out a crumpled piece of parchment from his robes and read: "Constance here achieved 9 O., and got her N.E.W.T before applying for the job and is looking into the field of Magical Law," Kingsley finished, looking impressed at what he had just read aloud. "Well, it looks we have two brilliant young women looking to get the job done. Hermione, you'll be next to Constance's office, so I realized you might as well meet now than later."

Hermione smiled, and looked at Constance. "Well, I'm sure you'll love it here. The cases we work on very vital and it makes me happy to see people lend a helping hand."

Constance only smirked at her, and Hermione didn't sense friendship.

"Well, I'll leave you two to get to know each other," said Kingsley, looking at his pocket watch. "I have an important meeting regarding the whereabouts of an Azkaban escapee. I'll see you soon, Hermione. If you see Weasley around, tell him that he and Potter need to report back to my office as soon as possible. It is very urgent."

"Oh," Hermione said, upset as she stared down at the floor. "How urgent?"

"Very urgent. In regards to the, erm…" he glanced slightly at Constance before turning back to Hermione. "I cannot say anything at the moment. I trust you to ask Weasley, he'll tell you quite soon. Cheers," he said, exiting the room, closing the door behind him.

Hermione looked at Constance and smiled, but saw a gleam of curiosity in her eyes. Hermione was sure it was not a good curiosity. "Ron's my, er, boyfriend," Hermione explained to her.

Constance folded her arms, looking surprised that Hermione had a boyfriend at all.

"Well, Constance, I'm sure we'll have a lovely time working together, I'm sure you'll love the department, it's just fascinating," Hermione continued.

Constance giggled a bit, but regained her poised face before cracking a smile again, but an unnatural, forced smile. When she spoke, Hermione felt the hairs on the back of her head rise. "It's really nice to meet the 'war hero', Hermione, but quite frankly I'm not going to suck up to you and play boss-intern. I'm not here to make friends, and I'm not here to have an experience with one of the golden trio."

Hermione's eyes widened. This girl was pretty, smart, and beyond bitchy. "I…I never said…"

"That you get special treatment just because you know Kingsley personally and that you accompanied darling old Harry Potter to defeat the darkest wizard of all time? Honestly, I don't care. I'm here to get an open position at Magical Law Enforcement. You can join me if you like, but I like competition. And I never lose." With that, she strode out of the office, leaving Hermione looking dumbstruck and at the floor, taken aback by what she had just heard. "Constance Abernathy" was nothing more than a stuck up, pompous and competitive bitch, and Hermione didn't need any more of that.

Still in awe, she strode over to her desk and rested her head in her hands, rubbing her temple as she processed the previous events in her head.

"Hello, love," said a voice, and Hermione' head snapped up. She saw Ron, smiling with one hand in his pocket, the other in the air holding a brown paper bag, his sleeves rolled up sexily on his arms. He wore a smirk and his tie was partially undone. "I brought lunch."

Hermione smiled slightly as she rose from her desk and took the bag from Ron. "Thanks, Ron."

"Hey, what's wrong?" Ron said, immediately sensing her frustration.

"Oh, nothing," she said, finding a way to change the subject. "Er…what did you bring?"

Ron still looked somewhat suspicious, but chose to ignore Hermione's obvious distraught. "Turkey sandwich, cranberry sauce with no cheese."

Hermione's mouth changed to form an O. "You know me so well," she said, winking at him as she tried to take the bag from his firm grip, but he resisted and held it back before she could lay a finger on it. "Ah-ah," Ron said, pursing his lips at her. Hermione rolled her eyes and grabbed his face in her hands and kissed him long and hard. She pulled away, looking lofty, but Ron still shook his head. "A snog's not enough, love."

Hermione smiled and threw her arms on him again, this time grabbing his hair, snogging the life out of him, and he responded; she lowered her hands to his chest and tried to rip open his dress shirt. He did it for her, and soon she could see his bare chest in front of her. He dropped the turkey sandwich on a nearby chair. "Oh, Ron," she mumbled, as he started kissing her neck. He picked her up and rested her on her desk table, continuing to kiss her neck as sensually as he could. "Ron," she kept saying. It was the only thing that mattered to her at the moment. "Oh, Ron…"

She inserted her tongue in his and began to graze it, sucking on it while still placing her firm hands in his blazing red hair.

He grazed his hands under her shirt and groped her breasts ferociously before proceeding to kiss her lips once more. She pulled away and began to kiss his neck as he continued grazing her breasts. She pulled away once more and he did the neck kissing next, nibbling on her ear as his hands continued to graze. She had her hands all over his back, going up and down before deciding to rest in his hair, rearranging it as she started moaning as he continued punishing her ear. She groped his arse and pulled him towards her, and he pulled away and gave her a long, hard and firm wet snog. Hermione opened her eyes, escaping her fantasy.

"Ron," she said, letting go of his arse and pulling away. "Ron," she said again, but he only pulled away to start kissing the other side of her neck. "Ron, I'm serious," she said, giggling. "We have to stop."

"Why?" he said, staring into her brown eyes. "I was starting to, er…you know…"

Hermione jumped down from her desk and started buttoning up her cardigan. "We're at the Ministry of Magic. We didn't lock the door. People could have heard us. God, we were so irresponsible…"

Ron looked rather disappointed as he began fixing his dress shirt. "Ah, the things you make me want to do, Hermione…"

Hermione smiled at him and straightened out her hair. "Oh, Ron, I forgot to tell you…er…Kingsley told me you and Harry have to report to him as soon as lunch break's over, it was quite urgent."

"Was it?" Ron said, rearranging her hair. "What did he say?"

"He couldn't tell me, because Constance was in the room."

"Who-stance?" Ron said.

"Oh relax, it's just my co-worker, Constane Abernathy. She's real…well, I don't see anything developing between us," she finished, sighing after she had finished talking. "Well. You had better report to Kinglsey, lunch break's over in ten minutes."

"Yeah," Ron said, grabbing his jacket and opening the door. Before he left, he said, "Maybe when we get home, we can, er…you know…take this there."

Hermione smiled and waved at him. "Bye, Ron."

He winked at her before closing the door. She took a deep breath before realizing that she had two more full parchments to fill out regarding Biscuit the House Elf.

**There you have it – chapter 2! I have so many ideas on where this story can go, so I'm still jotting them down.**

**Please rate and review, it really keeps me going :) **


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